Popular Articles

Term of the Day

An acoustic beam simulation makes use of ultrasonic beams that are used in a phased array (PA) ultrasonic, which is considered to be an advanced method of ultrasonic testing.This method is better at finding flaws in manufactured materials such as welds. The acoustic beam simulation mimics how the ultrasonic beam in a PA probe can be focused and...
Read more

Gas Pressure Regulator

Definition - What does Gas Pressure Regulator mean?

A gas pressure regulator is a valve that automatically cuts off the flow of gas when it reaches a certain pressure.

Gas pressure regulators can be used in:

Air compressors

Cooking

Water pressure reduction

Gas-powered vehicles

Oil & gas industries

Mining industry

The prime function of the regulator is to put exactly as much gas into the piping system as the load device takes out. This prevents damage to equipment and tools. Without such devices, pressure could become too great for equipment operation and pipes could easily burst.

Corrosionpedia explains Gas Pressure Regulator

A gas pressure regulator is a spring-loaded, dead-weighted or pressure-balanced device which maintains the gas pressure to a supply line. It must match the flow of gas through the regulator to the demand for gas placed upon the system. At the same time, the regulator must maintain the system pressure within certain acceptable limits.

A gas pressure regulator consists of three elements:

Restricting element - A valve that can provide a variable restriction to the flow

Loading element - A part that can apply the needed force to the restricting element

Measuring element - Functions to determine when the inlet flow is equal to the outlet flow

Since the regulator’s job is to modulate the flow of gas into the system, a restricting element is placed into the flow stream and provides a variable restriction that can modulate the flow of gas. In order to cause this restricting element to vary, some type of loading force must be applied to it through a loading element. A measuring element indicates when these two flows have been perfectly matched.

If the load flow decreases, then the regulator flow must decrease also. If the load flow increases, then the regulator flow must increase in order to keep the controlled pressure from decreasing due to a shortage of gas in the pressure system.